Gravity
by Darksummoner98
Summary: "The bonds that cross over the dimensions are the strongest ones and not so easily severed. Once your fates are intertwined the force shall pull you together," she said, her aura fading slightly yet her smile remaining. "Much like Gravity."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This idea just popped into my head one day so I decided to make a three small stories about it. This is only the first part and hopefully I will have the next part up by Christmas.**

**Emphasis on the word 'hopefully'.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any of the characters.**

_Gravity, Part One: The Return of a Warrior_

The wind roared through the sacred mountains of Gagazet, casting its rough, cool caress over the snow-filled landscape. Grey clouds cast looming shadows over the untouched icy terrain, blocking out all rays of sunlight and decreasing the freezing temperatures even further. Not even the ronso dared to venture up the steep, fatal slopes on such a stormy evening yet in the midst of it all a young woman lay within the snow.

Her skin, as pale as the flakes that fell from the clouds, seemed to blend in and camouflage her while her silver hair began to freeze into place with the low temperatures. Long dark lashes fanned out against defined cheekbones while lips began to turn blue and breathing began to slow. Her slightly revealing leather outfit did nothing to keep her warm and in her unconscious state she couldn't reawaken in order to make her way down the mountain.

Fiends grew closer, having found their easy prey, a Gullwing who once slew their kind left, right and centre when in full health. The snow wolves licked their muzzles, beady eyes gleaming at the thoughts of fresh food however before they could pounce two daggers appeared from nowhere and in a flash of yellow, they were slashed apart, fading away into pyreflies.

"Yunie! Gippal!" The young Al Bhed cried out to her comrades who were a few feet behind her, searching the mountain thoroughly. "I found her! I found her!" Rikku ran through the snow, plonking down ungracefully beside her unconscious friend and gathering her up in her arms in an effort to return some of the heat to her cold body. "You're going to be alright, Paine... I promise... I-"

She cut herself short as her eyes trained on the snow where Paine had just been, her swirled green orbs widening with fear as she saw the crimson liquid that stained the once pure white snow. Slowly, she drew her hand away, gasping at the thick red liquid that dripped from her fingertips like bloody tears of fallen angels.

"Yunie! Hurry! She's injured!" She called out again, tears beginning to stream down her face as she noticed how shallow her friend's breathing was. With trembling fingers, she managed to unstrap her communicator. "Pnudran! Pnehk dra yencreb du so mulydeuh, _nekrd huf!"_ (Brother! Bring the airship to my location, _right now!_)

She felt someone come up behind her, two people in fact, and the former-summoner quickly swapped dresspheres before casting her white magic on Paine. Gippal dropped down beside Rikku as well, his one eye widening in shock and fear as he took in the battered warrior's appearance.

"Paine..." He murmured in horrified wonder as Rikku moved aside to allow him to pick her up gently, Yuna continuously casting healing spells on her. Rikku bounded towards the airship, unlocking all the doors for Gippal and Yuna and pulling the sheets down on Paine's bed so Gippal could place her down.

"Gippal, go down to the bar and get potions, Rikku, ask Shinra to set up the cardiac monitor and tell Brother to take us to Bevelle, they have the best infirmary," Yuna ordered, pausing from her healing spells momentarily, "I'll try restore her body heat and stop the bleeding but there's only so much I can do, the priestesses at Bevelle will be able to do more."

The two Al Bhed nodded in unison, their eyes lingering on Paine for a split second before they both dashed down the stairs, attending to their given jobs, knowing their friend's life hung in the balance.

* * *

In the darkness, Paine wondered where it had all gone wrong.

Considering she had no true perception of time within this barren, empty void of nothingness, everything seemed to be going so slow yet so fast at the same time. When she tried to make sense of it all or figure out how many seconds or minutes had passed, she just developed a skull-splitting headache so she focused her mind on other things.

Like the point where her life had suddenly turned upside down.

One could argue that it all began when her father had refused to marry her mother, one of the leading priestesses in Bevelle and had decided to go off and save Spira with his summoner, Braska. Her mother, constricted by the Yevon religion, could not raise a child out of wedlock and so was forced to placed the warrior in an orphanage when she was only a few months old.

However, that was far too early for her life to really start to turn sour so she thought it might've been the day when she signed up for the Crimson Squad. Although the event did allow her to meet three of the best friends she could ever ask for, it did take a chunk out of her pride and dignity; that is the fact that she was not allowed to fight because she was a woman. Regardless, she fought on the side, when the masters and trainers weren't watching but other than that, she merely recorded the exercises of her teammates and acted as eye-candy for the other men.

The day Nooj shot them all and left her in a three month comma did set her back a good bit. She pondered the thought of that exact moment being the crucial descending stage of her life however she shook off the idea. In the end she had lived and she had found a new team who helped her uncover the truth about her past and save the world from a vengeful tyrant known as Shuyin.

The days she spent with the Gullwings were some of the best in her life and when they disbanded she enjoyed being the Captain of the Bevellian guards, a job complimentary of Baralai. She had acted as his personal security guard too, considering his weakened state after Shuyin had possessed him.

No, the point where it all went wrong was their argument. The one where she had outright refused, stormed out and headed for the last place anyone would ever think to find her.

The Den of Woe.

At the time, she had just wanted to kick some fiends' asses and vent her anger for as long as she wanted and in peace, where no one would find her and disturb her. However that was a mistake, the fiends weren't the problem nor was the setting, it was the pyreflies that had gotten to her, the pyreflies that had clumped together and blinded her with their dazzling light.

After that, she could remember nothing. Well, technically she could but none of it made any sense to her. All of her memories were distorted images, static voices, torrents of mixed emotions and the after effects on her skin, like tingles as though ghosts were caressing her. When she tried to think about it, to piece what little information she had together, she came up blank and with a huge headache.

In the depths of the darkness, there was suddenly a light - a star to be more precise. Her red eyes locked onto it immediately and she reached for her sword, only to discover it was no longer with her. In the end, she sighed and kept her body tense and ready should she need to use martial arts while she approached the star.

"I'm sorry," it whispered to her, a feminine tone to its voice and a sudden image of crystal blue eyes and blonde hair came to her mind.

"It wasn't your fault," she answered immediately in her usual low voice. Though she should've felt confused about her answer and why she had said such a thing, she didn't. Something about it told her she was speaking the truth even though she didn't know what that truth was.

"It was, I was not there to protect you, to guide you on your way back," it spoke gently, beginning to glow softly and grow in length. "You fought so hard..."

"It's what I do," she shrugged, before her eyes glazed over and flashbacks of a battlefield filled to the brink with colourful human monsters came to her mind. She saw her sword stabbed into the ground, tiny crystals scattered in their millions all over the floor. Heavy breathing, energy ebbing away, a form supporting her own and strained male cries of encouragement.

"Your crystal..." It continued on as the line of light began to form curves and slightly different colours of brightness. "He delivered it to me, he asked me to save you and I tried but..."

"I understand," she said although she didn't really, her heart told her she did but her mind couldn't comprehend it. Since when did she begin speaking from her heart, wasn't that Yuna's thing? "You did your best."

"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done," the features of the light came into focus as the glare faded and suddenly a beautiful woman clad in cream silks and flowing with divine power stood before her. "Your sacrifice saved the other warriors and helped us restore balance to our world but I'm afraid... the cycle will start anew."

"You want me to fight again?" She asked, not exactly pleased with the idea. Something began burning in her back, like a searing wound and she gasped in pain suddenly clutching her chest. What the hell was happening to her?

"No, you must rest, you've only returned," she shook her head gently, making her long golden locks sway. "It seems you've retained a good portion of your memories on a subconscious level."

"I guess so..." She murmured as she felt the pain worsen slightly, making her grimace.

"You are awakening," she stated, drifting closer to Paine in an unearthly manner. "The pain you are experiencing will soon fade with recovery however I must ask one last favour of you." She paused slightly, clasping her hands together in front of her reminding Paine of how Yuna acted when she first joined the Gullwings. "A life has been spared in another world, but for it to continue living it cannot remain there. I ask of you to guide this life I have saved, for it will naturally seek you out. Will you do this for me, Paine?"

The pain started to go away as she felt the effects of white magic overtake her and she smiled, knowing her friends were near. "It would be my honour," she replied, feeling a tingling sensation on her tongue as the last word left her lips.

The woman smiled graciously and nodded slightly towards her warrior, hope blossoming in her eyes. "The bonds that cross over the dimensions are the strongest ones and not so easily severed. Once your fates are intertwined the force shall pull you together," she said, her aura fading slightly yet her smile remaining. "Much like Gravity."

"Thank you, Cosmos," she murmured before gravity itself allowed her to fall backwards, out of her dreams and into reality.

* * *

Gippal watched the sleeping girl with his one eye, a yawn passing from his lips. Her chest rose up and down steadily. Her face, for the most part, was peaceful however every so often she would murmur something in her sleep or shift, reaching out a hand for something that wasn't there.

The Bevelle priestesses and nurses had performed extensive spells on her for the past three days and eventually closed up all of her wounds and stabilised her but they had warned she would not wake up for at least another day. He didn't believe it though, Paine was stronger than she looked.

He had tried to convince Baralai to visit her but he had refused, creating half-true excuses about his mountains of work and lengthy meetings. Nooj had tried his hand at persuading Baralai to at least sit by her side for just a moment however the praetor had admitted to not being ready. Gippal couldn't really blame him but what would Paine think when she woke up and he wasn't there?

Rikku and Yuna had been called out to investigate a strange appearance of pyreflies on the Mushroom Rock Road and Nooj had companied them, considering it was his base of operation. That left Gippal alone in the giant infirmary with the sleeping girl and the endless possibilities of what could've happened to her running through his mind.

At that exact moment, she stirred and he had shifted from his relaxed posture on the Bevellian couch to a tense and ready position on the edge of his seat, gazing worriedly at his friend. His impatience nearly overtook him as he waited for her to open her eyes. Her brows tensed and a long groan escaped her lips before finally her crimson orbs opened wide and she sat up suddenly, disorientation colouring her pale, defined features.

"Paine?" Gippal called out to her, laying a hand on her shoulder while she finally seemed to notice him.

"Gippal..." she murmured softly, looking around the room, no recognition in her eyes. "Where are we?"

"We're in Bevelle," he answered her.

She nodded once, raising a hand to rub her forehead when she suddenly tensed looking towards Gippal with wide red eyes. "Bevelle?" she repeated. "I can't be here-"

"We had to bring you in Paine, we found you on the side of Mount Gagazet unconscious and bleeding to death," he explained, pushing her back against the bed cushions. "If it weren't for the priestesses, you'd be dead by now."

A begrudging look of acceptance entered her eyes and after a few seconds of silence, she let out a long sigh and leaned back against the cushions. "Does Baralai know I'm here?" she asked in a low voice, looking down at his hands rather than meeting his eyes.

"Yeah, he does," he replied after a slight bout of hesitation.

She had nothing to say in reply to that, although he could see her eyes close slightly as if she was trying to block out the world and its hardships. It was such an alien look on the usually stoic girl, the way she seemed to just want nothing more than to disappear. He wondered what was going through her mind, numerous worrisome explanations running through his own.

"Paine, what happened?" He asked, gently, placing a hand on her bare shoulder and making her look at him. "All we heard was you and 'Lai had a huge fight and then you go missing and we find you half-dead on the side of Gagazet?" He let the information sink in before adding. "Why did you break off the engagement?"

"I... I..." he could see her struggle for the right words to explain her feelings and he waited patiently, knowing that the fact she was even making an effort to give him some insight to her inner thoughts was hard for her. Even back in the Crimson Squad, before the incident happened, she was always slightly closed off from them, never showing the tiniest fraction of her heart to the world. Now, she probably never would again, not after opening up to Baralai, entering a serious relationship with him only for it to crumble around them.

Yet, despite the fact that she had obviously been hurt and scarred from the pain of dying love, she didn't seem as bad as he thought she would be. He was surprised she was even talking rather than shutting everyone out and storming out of rooms without acknowledging the help offered to her. Could it be that her time away from them and with the Gullwings, retracing her past and discovering new things, had matured her? Or had another factor been involved?

"I... became too comfortable," she admitted after a long period of silence. "My job as his personal guard was going so well, he was recovering from his period as a puppet to Shuyin and we were becoming closer each day. Our relationship was a secret to the public, only you guys and the priests and priestesses knew of it but he wanted to release the good news." She let out an unladylike snort and turned her eyes away, shaking her head. "He said we would be the new face of Spira, a hero who defeated Vegnagun and the Praetor of Yevon, his guard and his lordship, two lovers bound by holy matrimony."

"I'm guessing that last bit is a quote?" He said softly, gently urging her to continue.

Her gaze returned to his and she nodded once. "I was ok with it but before he could make an announcement to the people, it got so much worse. He started trying to change me, to make me into the perfect wife for a Praetor. I wasn't allowed train, I had so much more duties, I couldn't wear my normal clothes, it was like I was an animal for show in a cage."

"Paine... I had no idea," he murmured apologetically.

"I confronted him, we fought, I stormed out and..." she hesitated slightly, a flash of guilt flickering across her features. "I went to the Den of Woe."

"_What_?"

"I know, it was a stupid decision on my part-"

"But we found you on Mount Gagazet, Paine!" Gippal cut her off, leaning forward and looking at her incredulously. "How did you go from the Den of Woe to the other side of Spira without anyone recognising you? Do you know how long we searched for you? We all thought you were dead!"

"But I was only gone for..." Her brows drew together and she looked at him in confusion. "How long have I been missing?"

He bit his lip. "Three months."

"_Three months?_" She repeated in shock. "How could I have been gone for three months? I was only-"

She paused, trying to decipher the timeline that had led to her being her unconscious in Bevelle but she couldn't do it. Every time she felt as though she was coming close to grabbing the answer within her mind, it would slip through her fingers like sand. She could feel it there, somewhere in her head. The answer was there, her memories were there but she had no access to them. It was the most infuriating and frustrating thing in the world.

She felt incomplete, as though a part of her was missing. She had never really experienced this empty feeling in her heart. It wasn't a physical pain but an emotional one, one she had never encountered before. She just couldn't figure out, why she felt this way.

But she was certain the answer lay in whatever had happened in the past three months.

Where had she been anyway? How had she ended up on Mount Gagazet? What had those pyreflies done to her? There was always the possibility of someone kidnapping her, but then why would they have let her go? Where would they have held her as prisoner? The Gullwings knew Spira like the back of their hand, especially Yuna, she'd been everywhere and explored every unknown location fearlessly. There wasn't a nook and cranny that she wouldn't have checked.

A startling thought suddenly occurred to her as she began to check her body for any other injuries. Gippal watched her knowingly, understanding what exactly she was looking for and she found it when she felt a sharp pain in her side.

Her eyes squeezed shut, closing off her vision as she willed the pain to leave. She felt Gippal touch her shoulder in concern but she wasn't fully aware of him, all she could see was the two turquoise eyes staring back at her in her mind. They were determined and bright and lovely, like a cat and somehow they comforted her. Gippal's voice made them dissolve into dust though and reality returned like a slap to the face.

"You were stabbed through the waist by a long, thin blade but thankfully no vital organs were damaged," the Al Bhed explained solemnly. "You lost a lot of blood but other than that you had no other injuries." He shifted uneasily on his chair, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. She turned to look at him, her eyes like daggers.

"Just say whatever's on your mid, Gip."

"Well..." His fingers began to pluck at his trousers nervously, "we think you may have been kidnapped, Paine. You're quite strong and independent, so if abduction was the case, it would've had to have been a man who was taller and stronger than you..."

"And?" She prompted, not liking where this was going.

"The priestesses wanted to me to ask you..." a blush crept up his neck and she could tell this was practically killing him however she waited with silent impatience as he tried to spit the words out. "They wanted me to ask you if... you and 'Lai ever... you know." He looked at her pleadingly but her face was blank. He gulped hard and gave her a pointed look, his eyes travelling downwards.

Realisation dawned on her all too easily and she tried her best to mask her discomfort. "No..." She said quietly, shaking her head. "No, we never actually got there, Baralai wanted to be traditional and to wait until after the wedding for... that," she finished lamely before her eyes became serious and she looked towards him in alarm. "Why? Why did they want to know?"

"Because Rikku gave a statement saying you were still a virgin before you got engaged to 'Lai and 'Lai himself wouldn't answer if you guys..." He trailed off and have her a look that screamed bad news. "But when they were examining your body in case a guy did-" the word seemed to lodge in his throat however Paine nodded stiffly as a sign she understood. "They discovered you were no longer a virgin."

The blue-green eyes flashed in her mind like magnetic towers and she tried to block them out but to no avail. She should've felt sick to her stomach but she didn't. She should've been crying her eyes out at the mere thought of what she went through but she wasn't. She couldn't understand why she was so calm about it. Gippal, the ladies' man himself, was getting all antsy about it and she was as serene as a flower petal. What was wrong with her?

"They said there was no scarring or any signs of... forced entry," he described elegantly. "So maybe Rikku was incorrect with her statement-"

"No, she told the truth," Paine cut him off, staring at the blankets as a boyish grin flashed in her mind. The rest of his face was dark but she could clearly see the lips and eyes, as if her mind was slowly revealing pieces of her kidnapper's identity. Strangely though, the eyes made her relax and the smile increased her confidence. It was bizarre to think she could feel this way about a man who she didn't even know and who had probably kidnapped her.

Maybe he hadn't kidnapped her though. There was no proof that she had been taken forcefully. All she could remember was killing monsters and then being overwhelmed by a clump of pyreflies. What happened after that was sketchy, she couldn't make a timeline within her mind but she was certain that man was there, that he had been a big part of her life during the last three months.

Was it possible that she had gone with him... of her own free will?

"I wonder..." She murmured more to herself than to Gippal. She began to chew on her bottom lip in thought but stopped herself immediately. Her eyes bore into the one of her lifelong friend's and she gestured for him to come closer as she threw the covers off of herself.

"Woah, Paine, what are you-?"

"I'll be damned if I stay in this bed for another second," she cut him off as she tried to get the feeling back in her toes and legs. "So come here and help me up, it's about time I started to walk again."

* * *

Later that night, after practising walking with Gippal for a few hours and finally getting a decent meal, Paine stood out on one of the many balconies gazing up at the stars. For some reason, their constellations gave her a warm feeling inside, as if she wasn't alone. Her skin tingled strangely but it wasn't because of the cool breeze that caressed her. It was like an after-feeling, as if her skin was missing something...

Or someone.

"How ridiculous," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. Her mind was still uncertain though.

The priestesses had tried nearly everything to help restore her lost memories but so far nothing had worked. Gippal had told her not to lose hope and that maybe seeing Yuna and Rikku again, who were currently finishing up their investigation on the Mushroom Rock Road, would help her troubled mind. She doubted it though, as much as she loved the two girls, they hadn't been around during the last three months, so how could they possibly help her memory?

She remembered the dream she had before regaining consciousness. The one with the strange light that turned into a woman - Cosmos - and about a life and gravity. It all seemed so bizarre but she had this gut feeling that the dream was strongly connected to what happened to her in the past three months. It was a key part of uncovering the mystery of where she had been but how could she rely on a dream? That was what children did.

_Not just children, heroes too_.

She whipped around, looking for the source of the voice and her side flared up in pain. As soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was flooded with images of a starry sky and cliffs made of rock, sand and diamonds. The moon shone brightly down upon crystal creatures that charged towards her but they were demolished in a flash of black and silver. The giant sword cut them in half and all she could see were black spikes-

"Paine?!" Gippal's voice seemed to be her tether to reality and her eyes snapped open. She hadn't realised she'd been holding her breath until she suddenly gasped for air and stood up straight, gripping her tender side for dear life. "Are you alright?"

"Just peachy," she deadpanned in reply as she released a long breath and wiped at her brow and eyes, a headache forming within her skull.

"Did you remember anything?" He asked as she resettled into her position staring at the stars.

Another sigh escaped her lips. "I keep getting flashes but..." she shook her head and looked up at the sky. "None of it makes any sense."

"What do you mean?"

"The places I see aren't a part of Spira and the monsters I fought... they look like people - people I know. Yuna was there but she was orange and crystallised and evil. Tidus was there too and Jecht... but they weren't themselves and there were clones of them, diamond clones. They attacked me and I had to kill them. It was chaos."

"Are you sure you weren't hallucinating? The priestesses said that might happen after-"

"No, I definitely wasn't hallucinating, I know I wasn't," she cut him off firmly. Realising she had snapped at him more harshly than she had intended, she allowed her face to soften slightly and turned back towards the stars. "It's a nice view of the Little Dipper tonight, isn't it?"

Her friend looked at her in surprise. "Since when do you know any constellations?"

"I..." She trailed off, unable to answer his question. Her brows drew together in confusion as she tried to remember when she had memorised the constellations. Back in the Crimson Squad, she had been hopeless at it, despite the boys' efforts to teach her. Even travelling with the Gullwings, she had preferred to create her own constellations but she had never really made an attempt to discover the proper ones.

"I don't know," she answered honestly with a shrug. "I'm not really certain about anything anymore. I don't understand how I went missing or how you never found me. It was like I was taken away to a different world or something."

"Do you think you went to another world?" Gippal asked quietly.

"I know it sounds ridiculous-"

"It doesn't," he cut her off sincerely. "I've always felt that we're not alone in the universe. I'm open to the idea that there are other worlds out there and if you say that you travelled to one, I believe you."

As the last three words left his lips, she turned to look at him, honest surprise shining in her eyes. He met her gaze easily, his lips curling upwards into a small smile and he nodded once to reassure her. She broke the contact briefly to suck in a big breath before looking up at him once again, a blush staining her cheeks.

"I think I met someone there."

A choking noise resounded from her left, as if her Al Bhed friend had swallowed on his saliva the wrong way. "Met someone? As in...?" He let the question trail off, not able to put a label on it.

"Yes," she nodded slowly towards the sky. "I think so anyway, I keep getting flashbacks of a man but I don't know who he is."

"Your kidnapper?"

"I don't think he kidnapped me, and I don't think he gave me this wound either," she said. "He looked as if he was protecting me and the sword he carried was far too large to inflict a wound like this. That much I am sure of."

"I meant to say that to you actually," he said scratching the back of his neck as he usually did when he was trying to piece together his thoughts. He went inside and pulled out a long thick weapon from behind the door, one which he had obviously left there before coming out. "We found this a few feet away from you when we went back to search for clues. It didn't have any blood on it and you're right, it was too big to make that wound. We never found your sword unfortunately but maybe this is the sword you've been dreaming about."

She couldn't deny the spark of recognition that had ignited within her nor could she deny the familiar feeling of the hilt in her gloved hand. She wrapped her other hand around it and pointed it out in front of her, her feet urged to move, her arms ached to swing it in a way that seemed almost natural to her and she instantly knew this was not the first time she had wielded this sword.

Her skin tingled and she felt the after-effects of someone wrapping their arms around her, bigger, stronger hands covering hers and guiding her movements, showing her how to attack with this sword properly. There were bits of rust on the sword, its sleek metal not as shiny as it had once been yet it was still beautiful all the same.

"It doesn't look like it has been used very recently though," Gippal commented, staring at the sword dubiously. "I don't know why your mystery man didn't get a new one."

"Because it's a symbol of dreams and honour," she replied automatically as though she were caught in a trance.

"What?"

She frowned at her own words and shook her head to rid herself of the goosebumps beginning to appear on her neck. "Nothing, it doesn't matter," she said as she lowered the sword.

Her friend gazed at her anxiously for a few seconds and she could see him debate whether or not to say something else to her but eventually he closed his mouth and remained silent. They stayed like that for a long while, neither saying nothing to one another, just staring up at the sky while Paine held onto the sword for dear life.

"There's a good chance he has my sword, I suppose," she broke the comfortable silence, voicing her thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess so," he murmured in return. She could feel him stare at her, his one eye studying her features while his fingers twitched at his side.

"Spit it out, Gip," she deadpanned, turning her crimson eyes too his green one.

He took a deep breath and she noticed he took a step away from her. "Don't hurt me for asking this, I know you've only just gotten back and you don't know much about him but..." He paused and raised a brow. "Do you love him?"

She had to admit, she did feel a slight spark of anger that he would ask her such a personal question. Although Gippal was one of her best friends, she would never ask him the same question especially if he was as muddled up in his own thoughts as she was.

But it was a good question nonetheless. The answer was a hard one though. How could she possibly have even the slightest emotional connection to someone she didn't even know? How could she feel attracted to a person whose face was merely composed of darkness, two amazing eyes and an award-winning smile?

_Easily_, a small voice whispered within her. She decided she never heard it.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "I don't even know who he is or what happened between us - well, I guess I have some idea after the results of the tests the priestesses ran on me," she shrugged and wished she had long hair to hide her blush. "I'm not even sure what it's like to be in love."

"What about with 'Lai?" Gippal asked softly. "What about when you were with him?"

"At the time, I was in love or at least, I thought I was," she answered, her voice low and slightly remorseful. "But I was wrong. If I had to make a guess at what love is, I'd say it's appreciating someone for who they are, accepting their flaws and perfections and wanting to spend every minute of their lives with them. I think that if you really love someone, you'd gladly die for them and I'm not sure 'Lai's definition of love is the same."

Gippal gave her an empathetic look and he took a step back closer to her. "He really did love you, Paine. He loved you ever since he first set eyes on you in the Crimson Squad."

"Maybe he did," she agreed softly. "But that doesn't matter now."

"You're not even going to try and salvage the engagement?" He asked almost pleadingly.

"I don't think I can," she replied with a shake of her head. "I've thought about it a lot since I woke up and I've thought about whoever owns this sword a lot too. 'Lai will always be close to me, that's not going to change but I think we'll be better off as friends from now on."

"And what about you and your mystery man?" Gippal asked curiously. "What is he to you?"

"A phantom, a blur, and a hope for the future," she answered vaguely with a shrug of her shoulder. "If the flashbacks keep on coming, I'll have a better answer for you but until then that's all I can say."

He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you'll ever find him?"

"I hope I do, I have a feeling that I will. A wise woman once told me that when the fates of two people are intertwined, the force of that bond will always pull them back together." She turned her eyes to the starry sky, ignoring Gippal's confused look as a genuine smile graced her lips. "Kind of like Gravity."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: The second instalment of the Gravity fanfiction is here! Sorry to anyone who is reading this for the long period of no updates. And thank you for the review, PaineMe, it's great to get feedback :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, it belongs to Square Enix**

_Gravity Part Two, The Awakening of a Soldier_

Crystal.

Everywhere he looked all he could see was crystal.

It was like a maleficent rainbow; constant, powerful and overwhelming. He saw faces he recognised from far-off memories and others he didn't. None of them were friendly faces though, they just kept coming, attacking relentlessly, their emotionless expressions never changing.

Like robots.

A shallow wound opened up on his shoulder as he failed to dodge an attack properly and he grimaced in pain. His breath was coming in laboured gasps now, his shoulders slumping and buster sword heavy in his hands. Nevertheless he slashed two more manikins in half before engulfing three more with a fire spell. It was only a matter of seconds before he was bombarded again.

His crystal burned in his pocket at the thought and his eyes instantly fell upon Sanctuary that was just a gateway away.

A back brushed against his and instantly a feeling of relief swelled within him. A shield rose around him and white magic engulfed him as healing spells left her lips. His energy returned and he felt her clothes transform around her as she sphere-changed.

The feeling of her smooth skin brushing against his for a split second sent shots of electricity to him as visions of the night before flashed through his eyes. Just the two of them, under the stars, connected as close as two humans could be. He hadn't wanted that night to end.

And neither had she.

Flames burst from her as she twirled and he couldn't help but look over his shoulder and watch, admiring her curves in her black mage's outfit. He studied the scars upon her skin, the ones that he had traced out with his fingers in detail last night, staring at her crimson eyes that matched the flames.

It blew all the manikins back a couple of steps and he understood what she was trying to do. If they got to the gateway and made it through, they could lock it and get back to Sanctuary. It was their only chance, their only chance to bring their crystals to Cosmos, to stop this cycle.

He focused his digital mind wave, picturing the fuzzy image of a boy with spiky blonde hair and aligning the slots in his head. He felt the fire in his hands before it travelled down to his sword and he released a rain of meteors on the manikins in front of him, creating an opening.

"Let's move!" He yelled, instinctively grabbing her hand and pulling her with him. She was barely able to match his pace as she sent ice spells behind them, slowing down the hoard of monstrous creatures. He made sure she didn't fall behind though, holding onto her for dear life and she did the same for him.

They were only a few feet away from the gateway but the manikins were catching up despite her efforts. There was no way the lock would hold if they all threw themselves against it, the gateway wouldn't be able to keep the manikins back, it would have to give.

And that meant they'd be bringing the danger back to Sanctuary.

They didn't hesitate though not until they reached the gate but at the last moment she stopped and placed something circular and warm in his hand. He looked at her in shock but he didn't register what she was doing until she had pushed him through the portal and he fell onto the other side.

He was on his feet in an instant, rushing back but with a strong kick to the side, she disabled the gateway with the heel of her boot. He collided futilely with the barrier, her crystal still in his hand and he called out to her, throwing himself against the solid portal.

Her eyes softened so that they looked like liquid rubies and she placed a gloved hand against the barrier, her expression full of sorrow.

"I'm glad we met," she said softly. "And I swear I will never forget."

"Don't do this, Paine!" He yelled, watching as she sphere-changed once more, her dark armour covering her body while her sword transformed into a spiky, lethal weapon.

"Get our crystals to Sanctuary and end the cycle," she said firmly, her eyes hardening as her dark aura glowed around her. "Now go, Zack!"

She didn't turn to look to see if he had obeyed, instead she did a one-eighty and charged into the army of manikins, her sword raised high in the air while meteors fell around her, showering her in fiery light. Her name left his lips one last time as she disappeared into the crowd and he squeezed his eyes shut at the ache in his chest.

His grip tightened around her crimson sphere and he turned and sprinted towards Sanctuary where Cosmos awaited. The sound of battle drifted far behind him and he gritted his teeth as he pictured her face one last time.

"I swear I will find you Paine."

* * *

Zack Fair lay silently in the never-ending darkness of his dreams. Memories kept passing through his mind, memories of travelling with a girl who had silver hair like starlight and the most brilliant ruby-red eyes he had ever seen. They became more and more faded as time went by and he kept replaying them, renewing their existence so that they would never fade.

Were they even memories at all? Were they just dreams that he wanted to be real?

No. They were real, they had to be. She had to be real. All that had happened between them, their servitude to Cosmos, their battles, their secrets they shared and created, moments that could never be forgotten - they all had to be real. He was sure it had happened.

But where was he now?

He looked around for his companion, the flower girl, but she was nowhere in sight. The flowers were gone too, along with the lifestream they had rested in. The connection he felt to his friends who still worked to save the planet had faded dramatically. He could no longer feel their emotions or hear their thoughts and he felt an emptiness swell inside of him.

Then there was a light, like a firefly yet bigger and more colourful. It sang a mournful tune as it drifted around him before moving down below him. He followed it, feeling gravity pull him down slowly but picking up speed as the force grew stronger.

Everything became more real until suddenly he could feel the earth beneath his back, the clothes on his skin, the tickle of his spiky hair, the hilt in his gloved hand, the air in his lungs and the beat of his heart...

His heart.

It was beating.

His eyes snapped open and he sat up a little too quickly, causing him to feel slightly nauseous and dizzy. He placed a hand to his chest, feeling the thunderous thrumming of the organ that kept him alive.

Alive.

He was _alive_.

He didn't know whether to shout in joy or tremble in uncertainty. It was strange, not being a part of the lifestream anymore and having his own body again. He found it disturbing and yet exhilarating that breathing came so easily to him, that moving his muscles and bones felt so natural and right.

He looked around him, noticing he was still in the dark and in a cave of sorts where lots of the giant fireflies floated around the air. He touched one with a gloved finger but it shifted away from him elegantly and continued to ghost around the air.

"Pyreflies," he murmured offhandedly. The word caught him by surprise. Crimson flashed across his vision and he wondered where he had heard the word before. He had never encountered these objects but he remembered them being described to him by someone... Who was it again...?

His attention was drawn away from his lack of memory as he gazed back down at his body again. He could not remember a time where he had ever been this grateful in his life, he couldn't believe he was actually alive. He was still as muscular as he had been before dying and he wore the same SOLDIER uniform. He realised he was covered in scrapes and dirt though, spots of blood spattering his clothes and they were ripped in places. Little crystals fell from his hair when he raked a hand through it and he felt as though he was missing something on the inside. It was the feeling of foreboding one got when one forget something that they desperately needed.

He sensed the presence of someone else in the cave and he immediately lifted his eyes to gaze upon a brunette who stood before him. Her clothing was very bright even in the dimly lit cavern and she seemed unaware of the pyreflies that floated around her. Her right leg was covered by half of a blue skirt while she adorned denim boy shorts and a cream top with some kind of symbol holding it together in the middle. Her hair was short and spiky and a long tail fell from the back of her neck, brushing the ground.

Her blue and green eyes stared at him strangely before she smiled kindly at him. "Are you alright, sir?" She asked gently. "You shouldn't really be down here, we had this area closed off because of the high levels of pyreflies and monsters."

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered once he had found his voice. "Just a little confused."

"Can you tell me your name?" she asked innocently yet she had a certain air of confidence and authority about her.

"Zack, Zack Fair," he replied holding out his hand to her from his position on the floor.

"I'm Yuna," she shook his hand and gave him a careful look. "Where are you from, Zack?"

"Gongaga," he answered instantly.

"Where is that?" She asked in confusion as she looked over him once more. It was obvious he appeared as strange to her as she did to him. Her whole demeanour was strange to him, no one was ever this friendly to a SOLDIER, especially not after what Shinra did to the planet and she hadn't even made a comment about his mako eyes or uniform. She didn't look like anyone he'd ever met, not with those clothes and eyes.

"Where am I?" He asked suddenly.

"You're in the Den of Woe, on Mushroom Rock Road," she answered. At his blank look she elaborated; "in Spira."

_Spira_, that word rang a bell in his mind. Silver streaks and rubies flashed behind his eyelids but they faded just as quickly as they came. He stared at her in shock, fully aware that he was most certainly not in Gaia anymore. Had he been reborn into another world? Was that even possible?

"Who _are_ you?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion. Her eyes studied his every feature, moving up and down his body as if she were trying to solve a complex math problem. When they finally halted, he followed their gaze to the broadsword at his side.

_The hardest person to know is one's self._

That voice. He'd heard it before, in his dreams - no, in his memories. He remembered her, the one he had vowed never to forget. He could see her clearly in his mind now, her hard crimson eyes that could turn so soft when she allowed her emotions to shine, her porcelain white skin that shone in the moonlight, her features that were so fair and could create a defensive mask to hide her heart from the world. He remembered their journey, he remembered slowly breaking that mask down, he remembered her opening up to him and letting him in.

But what was her name?

"Where did you get that sword?" There was a gun pointed at him now, with Yuna's finger carefully placed off the trigger but close enough so that she could shoot him down before he could so much as move an inch. Her eyes were hard and protective; face guarded but he could practically sense her confusion and distrust, even horror.

"Hold on a second-" he began raising his hands but she shook her head and cut him off.

"Where did _you_ get it?" She asked again, more fiercely this time.

"I don't know," he replied honestly and calmly, not wanting her to give any reason to pull the trigger. He had just been reborn, he didn't want to die so soon. "It belongs to a woman who means a lot to me and I really need to find her."

Her features softened ever-so-slightly and the gun lowered by an inch. Her pupils trembled as she searched his face for any sign of a lie or deceitfulness however she found none. He lowered his hands slowly and looked at her openly and honestly, hoping she would copy his actions and help him.

However she narrowed her eyes and raised the gun, taking a communicator from her hip pouch and holding it up to her mouth. "Rikku, Nooj, come over to the east side of the cavern, I think I found the source of the disturbances."

Her gun shone with a blue light and the words 'blue bullet' were the last that crossed his mind before the light engulfed him.

* * *

When Zack regained consciousness, he was greeted by a bright colourful room and restraints.

He lay on his back on a soft bed in a small enough chamber. The walls were made of polished colourful stone and the floor was much the same. A language he could not comprehend was scrawled in artistic letters across the walls while a monitor kept track of his heart beat.

He tried to remember how he had come to be here and how he had been injured but his memory turned up blank. The last thing he remembered was the bi-coloured eyed gunner who had sent him to sleep. He figured she must've brought him to this place.

As he tried to get up, he felt leather hold his wrists, torso and ankles down. He relaxed his body immediately and released a sigh, slowly counting down from ten. Once he reached zero, he pushed upwards in one jerk with all of his might, snapping the leather cleanly. He supposed he hadn't lost his SOLDIER attributes during rebirth.

Standing up he looked around the room, spotting the skull sword in the corner. He paused in his jail break to trace his fingers over the sword, memories floating to the surface. He could see her so clearly now, he couldn't believe he had actually forgotten her after swearing not to.

"Paine..." He whispered, gripping the sword tighter. He turned towards the one door, hesitating slightly before walking towards it. He knew he should formulate a plan or look for a reason as to why he was captured and restrained or confront Yuna but in all fairness, he was in a strange world and he only knew that Paine was here. She was all he cared about.

He pushed out the door without thinking more on the subject and held the sword tightly in his hand. The perplexed and strange gazes burned into his back, followed by ones of alarm while hushed whispers rang out. He was aware of someone discretely exiting and he had a feeling they were going to get the armed enforcements of the law. He didn't have much time.

Picking up the pace, he began jogging through the corridors, looking for dark clothes, porcelain skin and silver hair. Most of the women were fully clothed from head to toe and their robes were colourful and massive. He was positive Paine wouldn't adorn such garments but even so, there was always the nagging fear that he would miss her.

He turned down another corridor, sprinting now and burst through a set of double doors into a massive hall. The ceiling rose high above him, covered in extravagant paintings and chandeliers. Stairs led up to mezzanines three stories up while the whole hall was packed with busy people.

He felt his heart sink in dismay while his eyes darted to all corners of the gigantic room. There were so many people in this capital and he stood out like a sore thumb with his dark clothing and spiky hair.

Would Paine recognise him? Would she spot him if she was in this crowd? Or what if she wasn't? What if she was in a completely different part of this Spira world? If it was as big as Gaia was, he'd never find her. He didn't even have a map of this place he was stuck in, never mind the rest of Spira. She could be anywhere.

_No, I'll find her. Or she'll find me. One way or another, as sure as gravity_, he vowed to himself before plunging into the crowd.

"Zack! Stop!" It was Yuna's voice and he could see her rushing through the packed room after him. She seemed to have an air of authority about her and the crowds immediately parted for her out of sheer respect. He cursed and began to sprint up the stairs, pushing people out of his way and muttering apologies, keeping his head down; wary of her guns.

He took them three at a time, hearing the girl race after him with a blonde tanned guy after her. He took a sharp right and climbed more stairs, hopping onto an elevator to take him up to the top floor. Yuna had to back track and rush up the stairs on the opposite side to grab the next elevator but the action bought him a few minutes.

Jumping off the elevator he rolled along the ground to soften his fall and dashed down the narrow corridor ahead of him. Intercoms blared above him, warning about an escapee and telling everyone to be on high alert. He rolled his eyes and prayed to the planet to help him get out of this mess quick.

A masculine shout resounded as he turned around a corner and he was only barely aware of a man with white hair and tanned skin push a girl into a side room for protection. Her yells were muffled as she stumbled backwards and the man attacked him with a razor-edged rod of sorts. Without even thinking he raised Paine's sword to block the attack and pushed the man back with little effort.

He stopped for a moment, looking at the hatred bubbling in the man's dark brown eyes. Priest robes adorned his body while a blue headband kept his snowy hair out of his face.

"I don't want to fight you, I just need to find someone," he said, lowering the sword in a gesture of peace.

"You're not going anywhere," he growled in response. As soon as his teeth gritted together Zack knew he would attack again so he sidestepped quickly and changed his grip on Paine's sword, bringing it down upon the priest.

A flash of white and black dashed forwards and raised a steel sword to block his attack. His surprise showed in his eyes by their quick movement and strength. His mako orbs widened even further when he recognised the sword.

It was his sword.

Time suddenly slowed down and finally he met her eyes, gazing into their crimson depths and relishing in their beauty. She was just as he remembered with a few extra scrapes. Her expression was one of pain and effort, one he had seen upon her many times before.

"Paine..."

As her name fell fluidly from his lips, her eyes widened in surprise. He slackened his grip on her sword, releasing some of the pressure off of her block and watched the pain and effort disappear from her features. Slowly, her bottom lip dropped and lashes fanned out as her eyes grew even more round with shock. He could almost see the images rushing through her mind as she loosened her grip on his own sword.

"Zack..."


End file.
